This invention relates primarily to electronic video poker games, and more particularly to electronic video poker games that are based on poker hand rankings and that allow the player to discard and replace unwanted cards with replacement cards. The present invention has many versions with the common thread being that cards from an initial hand of cards are re-used in one or more subsequent or additional hands to allow the player the opportunity to play one or more cards from the starting hand of cards multiple times. The invention also involves features which may apply to casino table games as well.
The method of the present invention involves a card game in which the player plays multiple hands of cards. At the beginning of each round of the game, the player determines how many hands the player wishes to play, i.e. how many times the player wishes to play the initial deal of the cards. The player makes an appropriate wager to cover those multiple plays of the initial hand of cards. One hand of five cards is dealt, all five cards face up. The player selects none, one or more of the face up cards from the first hand as cards to be held. Replacement cards for the non-selected cards are dealt into the first hand and the poker hand ranking of the first hand is determined.
The initial deal of cards is then re-used and becomes a second hand. The player again selects none, one or more of the face up cards from the second hand as cards to be held. Replacement cards for the non-selected cards are dealt into the second hand and the poker hand ranking of the second hand is determined.
These steps are repeated until the player has completed play of all of the hands that the player chose to play. The player is paid for any winning poker hands based on a pay table and the amount of the player""s wager on each hand.
Alternatively, the method of the present invention can also be applied to three card poker or four card poker.